Cumnock: Craigens rat problem helped by company for free

We recently reported how David Mcatee’s garden had been overrun with rats, with the problem persisting for over two years.

David contacted the Chronicle to claim he received no help in solving the issue and had to deal with it himself.

READ MORE: Craigens man 'at wit's end' after rat-infested garden issues

Following this, Carters Cleaning Company, based in Dumfries and Galloway offered to step in and help David with this problem free of charge.

The company deals with infection control, biohazard cleaning and pest control.

On Wednesday afternoon, Jim and Marty from the company went to David’s home to begin the first phase of the solution, which included placing bait boxes around the garden to determine the extent of the infestation.

The boxes placed around the garden. (Image: NQ staff)

Jim said: “It’s a shame that this gentleman has been left like this.

“People will get the odd rat in their garden, but to be having them at this level is incredible.

“When we saw how David was suffering with this and it affecting him being able to let his boys and dogs into the garden, we thought we needed to help out.”

David has said he has been "banging his head against a brick wall" in a bid to solve the issue of rats in the garden of his rented Shire Housing Association home.

Both Shire and East Ayrshire Council said that the pest control would not be a free service because the rats were not entering David’s home.

Although this support from Carters Cleaning Company will help David in the short-term, Marty said that the route cause of the problem must be identified for long-term fixes.

He said: “With a suspected infestation as large as this, there will be multiple terraced houses affected, due to these kind of rats that burrow and if they access the dwelling then it becomes a real risk.

“We’ve put these bait boxes down and we’ll leave them for and come and check on them in the next week.

“We’ll get notifications when a rat has entered the box, so we’ll be able to see how frequent it all is.

“You can treat the garden area which will control the numbers, but long term you need to find the route cause.”

David with his grandson and two boys. (Image: Submitted)

Despite the uncertainty about the future, David was understandably over the moon with the help he has been given, and hopes it can be the beginning of the end.

He said: “It’s all been so stressful but the help these guys have given is a weight off my shoulders a bit for now, even if it’s a temporary fix.

“For them to come up from Dumfries and Galloway off their own back and help me is really a testament to them because that’s amazing.

“I really appreciate their help with this and hopefully this can be the beginning of the end of all of this.

“The generosity of people like this is incredible.

"I'll keep pushing to have this issue sorted completely."